Cameco Corp. and Areva Resources Canada co-own the Cigar Lake uranium mine. Both companies have renewed their agreement with northern communities to support uranium development in northern Saskatchewan.Cameco Corporation

“The renewed partnership agreement gives the Athabasca communities certainty, to help ensure that the companies operate sustainably, bringing positive changes for the future generation,” Diane McDonald, lead negotiator for the communities, said in a statement.

The Ya’Thi Néné agreement, which means “Land of the North” in Dene, builds on a previous deal struck in 1999. It confirms the support of Black Lake, Fond du Lac, Hatchet Lake, Stony Rapids, Wollaston Lake, Uranium City and Camsell Portage for the Cigar Lake, McLean Lake and now-shuttered Rabbit Lake uranium operations.

The deal also commits the companies to continue hiring northern residents and support local business, community and environmental protection initiatives.

Cameco is the country’s largest industrial employer of aboriginal people, while Areva has said more than 50 per cent of the workers at its McLean Lake mill are from northern communities.

“By working with industry, people living in the north have found ways to enhance the capacity and vitality of their communities while protecting their traditional values and lands,” Cameco president and CEO Tim Gitzel said in the statement.

“This agreement further solidifies our long-standing collaboration with these communities. It speaks to our joint vision and commitment to the prosperity of northern Saskatchewan for decades to come,” Areva Resources Canada president and CEO Vincent Martin added.

Cameco co-owns and operates two mines and one uranium mill in northern Saskatchewan. In April, the Saskatoon company said it plans to close a third mine, Rabbit Lake, in response to weak uranium prices, resulting in about 500 employees losing their jobs.

A spokeswoman for the uranium mining giant said it already has similar agreements in place with English River and Pinehouse, on whose traditional lands the McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill are located.

Areva Resources Canada, which is also based in Saskatoon, owns and operates the McLean Lake uranium mill, which was recently authorized to increase its annual production by 11 million pounds. It also has an ownership stake in the Cameco-operated Cigar Lake and McArthur River mines and Key Lake mill.

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